Red Lips
by adaeyeshypnotize
Summary: Lisbon discovers the patterns of a serial killer and vows to hunt him down. Mildly Jisbon. Rated T just in case
1. Chapter 1

**Hi Everyone - This is my first attempt at this, so all feedback is welcome!**

five…. six….. seven. Teresa Lisbon slowly continued her counting, scanning the pages before her with a look of pure determination, occasionally digging for yet another file. She had been there for over 10 hours.….fifteen. A pause. fifteen total. fifteen cases since 1990, all linked to each other, connected by such a small detail. All of the victims were women, aged 19-45, all racial backgrounds, with cause of death ranging from shootings to stabbings to strangulations. The one commonality in all of them? Lipstick applied posthumously, at least two hours after death. Lisbon looked over the cases she had stacked over her desk. Fifteen. And those were the cases where the medical examiner had paid enough attention to detail to notice. She silently cursed herself for all the times she rushed the crew down at the morgue for immediate results. Who knows how many cases had been missed already? Lisbon had followed her hunch and, with the evidence before her, lay convinced that she was dealing with a serial killer. It was as obvious to her now as the blue of the sky.

She felt the rush she was expecting: the cop's high, knowing a case is about to erupt in any minute. It was a feeling that kept her in this job when she could have succeeded in so many safer, better paid options. The sensation kept her from becoming bored with the usual series of crimes of passion or greed. A husband shooting his cheating wife, a businessman double crossed and killed. Those cases left her memory shortly after they were closed. What lay before her, the thing she was about to chase down, was something different, something more dangerous and engaging. Lisbon took an unsteady breath and once more surveyed the files in front of her, her green eyes glinting with a look most would mistake to be hunger.

Patrick Jane watched the raven-haired women furiously at work in her office. He had gone home for a few hours and wasn't surprised to find her still rumaging around when he came back the next morning. She was completely on a mission, that much was obvious. Any questions or interruptions from him or the other team members had been greeted with not-so-veiled threats of violence and a slammed door. Watching her now was almost like watching an opened clock, each piece of her mind was slowly rotating, pushing the others into place. And now she had  
reached the bottom of yet another pile on her desk, haphazardly pulling pages from files in an ever-multiplying mess and then…. she stopped. Jane watched her green eyes focus and then widen as they surveyed the paperwork around her. Her face became flushed, almost in an expression of arousal, very unlike Lisbon, who usually took great care to cover all but the most superficial emotions in her face. Jane pushed the thought from his mind and turned back to watching the petite agent. Her coloring had paled back to its normal white, but her eyes still shone a brilliant, fiery green. A pause and then Jane found himself staring into those very eyes, their emerald pull powerful against the puzzled energy of his own blue. Lisbon, startled, had run up to the window of her office and drawn the blinds, clearly unsettled by being watched. Jane suppressed a grin at the thought of startling her once again and waited a moment, giving her a chance to compose herself, before bursting into the office.

Jane's eyes had pulled Lisbon from her own thoughts. Closing the blinds she leaned against the door, a new shade of red touching her cheeks. She was immediately embarrassed by the nakedness that she had displayed. That shaming reaction of pleasure that she always had at cases like this. She couldn't let herself forget that this rush, this high, was dependent on the suffering of others, on the pain of strangers. For that she hated herself, hated that she could become so engaged by these things. The part of herself that had just come to the surface was something that scared her. She couldn't let it take over, despite how good it felt. Lisbon took a deep breath and prepared herself for the inevitable interruption that would follow.

**Once I get some feedback I will post part II**


	2. Chapter 2

**Ok - here's part II. Happy New Year!**

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"So, what's the big revelation?"

Jane had let himself in the office, grin on his face and coffee in hand. Lisbon, now at her desk, simply took the coffee and looked at Jane.

"You're in early Jane. I see that the early hour doesn't stop you from being a pain in the ass."

"Actually, mornings invigorate me. I feel more in my element before the sun has risen. Have you ever had a cup of tea while the sun is rising? It really is a refreshing experience. So, what's the case?"

"Same case, Jane. Melissa Evans"

"The one we saw yesterday bludgeoned to a pulp? I thought I told you it wasn't the boyfriend who did it. Besides, a simple case like that doesn't usually keep you here all night in an orgy of paperwork"

"You're right, Jane. Usually cleaning up after you keeps me up all night in paperwork. Besides, how do you know I didn't go home right after you like I said I would."

"Simple, Lisbon. I can always tell when you lie. I knew the moment you said it last night that you had no intention of leaving, based on the subtle cues your body subconsciously made, willing me to detect that you were lying. Also, you're wearing the same clothes you had on yesterday"

Lisbon looked down at her wrinkled attire and cursed. She hadn't intended to stay this late and miss the chance for a shower and quick change. She'd have to settle for putting on the spare t-shirt and pants she kept in her office closet. It was already 6:30am. Van Pelt would be here in a half hour, with Cho coming in at 8 and Rigsby rolling anywhere after a half hour after that with some excuse about his car. She needed to prep herself for briefing the team on her discovery.

"Come on, Lisbon. Tell me. You know I love a good puzzle."

"Jane, I need to change, brush my teeth and consume something non-caffeine based in the next half-hour. You can wait to hear what I've found till then." Lisbon walked around Jane and out the door of her office, heading to the bathroom.

"I think you look fine. The slightly disheveled look suits you, makes people take you seriously. Besides the second you leave I'm going to look at all of the stuff you have on your desk to figure out what you've spent all night on. And, if I do that, there's nothing stopping me from looking at those items you keep in your bottom third drawer."

Lisbon stopped in her tracks and spun around.

"Fine. Walk with me. But, if you ever try to go into my office when I'm not there I will have you arrested. Also, if you even think of badgering me with questions in the next 25 minutes I'll shoot you. I can't be held accountable for my actions when I've had no sleep."

His smile broadened at this response. "Lisbon, I think your precious law would disagree with you on that detail"

"Jane, shut up"

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**As always, feedback is welcome**


	3. Chapter 3

**Ok - here's the third installment. It's going to pick up soon I promise! I had to lay down more background here.**

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"Name of the most recent vic, Melissa Evans. She was a bartender at Lucky Bar in downtown LA. Her body was found a week ago in the alley behind the bar, stabbed to death. LAPD transferred the case to us when the coroner reported that she had died Friday, two days before the body was found. Since the alley dumpster is emptied on Saturdays this means that she was killed and then brought to the bar, not just stabbed after a shift, which is what detectives had assumed."

Lisbon was leaning against Van Pelt's desk, file in hand, overviewing the most recent victim. This case was the most likely to have hot evidence or a lead that could trace back to the killer. Jane was lying on his back on the couch – no surprise there. He stared at the ceiling through the introductions, his face deceptively appearing to be bored. Lisbon glanced at him, rolled her eyes and continued.

"The only thing that appears to link Melissa Evans to the other 14 vics is the application of lipstick after death, determined by the coroner, who found dried blood underneath the layer of lipstick."

"So our guy kills these women with whatever is available, waits till their corpses get cold and decides to give them a makeover?" Cho picked up the file on top of the pile beside Lisbon. His angle was method and opportunity. The motive of a killer was unimportant to him – people do crazy things and he had stopped trying to make sense of their justifications for it years ago. But, there had to be a rationale behind how they carried out the crimes.

"Why would someone do that?" Van Pelt was staring at the picture of victim number 5, Amber Johnson. Cases like these always had a way of startling Van Pelt, reminding her once over how vulnerable women were. Lisbon eyed Van Pelt carefully regretting that she had so often caused the junior agent to feel this way while at the same time hoping that cases like these would help her team member to take charge and use her fears as assets in an investigation.

"Aesthetics mostly. And affection. Look at these pictures, each victim has a shade of lipstick that matches her complexion, probably one that she herself had purchased before. The killer becomes fixated on his victim, but doesn't kill her in the typical methodological way of most serial killers. The nature of these murders makes them look like crimes of passion, not calculated kills. What is calculated, however, is the aftermath. He takes them somewhere familiar and marks them, a final intimate secret between the two." Jane had finally decided to speak up.

Lisbon looked over at the consultant, who had barely lifted his head for this reveal. "Oh – so you are paying attention? Great. Now, we need to do a lot of groundwork to put these cases together. As useful as it is to know that the killer has aesthetical taste, we need more to go on to make any headway in this case. I've…-"

"Hi everyone. Oh, Lisbon! I didn't realize you were going to be briefing us so early. You wouldn't believe the traffic this morning" Rigsby had finally made his appearance, tie crooked and puppy dog smile trying to cover his embarrassment over interrupting.

"Rigsby, sit down, we have a big case. Cho, you catch up sleeping beauty here on what I've already covered. Now we should split up today to cover the most ground. Cho and Rigsby, I want you to contact all the agents who worked on the other cases. Get as many details as you can, any hunches they might have had can make a difference here. Van Pelt I need you to go through the personal records and activities of the victims. If there are any commonalities, a gym, a flower shop, you call me. I'm going to revisit the Melissa Evans crime scene and see if we can find any fresh leads. Jane –"

"I'm good. You soldiers go out and seek and I will decipher"

"Jane, you are coming with me. I need you to be on your best behavior with this case. Any missteps, any perceived coercion of a suspect, any tricks and we could blow what might be the biggest case any of us will see. I've briefed the chief on the details and he wants us to go full steam on this one, but we also need to keep our intentions quiet. Our best chance of catching this guy is if he thinks he's still safe."

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**Thanks for the reviews so far keep them coming. I'm still feeling this one out so any suggestions are great!!**


	4. Chapter 4

**Ok. Sorry I haven't written for a couple of days. I'll be posting several new bits in the next couple of days. Comments will make me post faster. :)  
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"Detectives Fuller and James? I'm Agent Cho, this is Agent Rigsby. Come this way." Cho led the two into the third interrogation room; all other spaces were already filled with various police officers and detectives from across the state. Cho looked around at the mayhem and cursed to himself about not thinking about the attention it would draw. Cho, like always, was keeping his cool and started to strategize on the most efficient way of interviewing the various officers. Rigsby, on the other hand, was clearly beginning to get overwhelmed. He had already walked into 3 interviews with the wrong paperwork, spilt coffee on two detectives from San Francisco, and led an officer into the women's bathroom for an interview, all while eating about half of the 4 dozen donuts that had been purchased for their visitors. Cho looked over to his colleague, currently halfway through yet another boston crème donut (his favorite) and sighed.

"Running a marathon for diabetes?"

"Huh?"

"Nevermind. Let's go with these two next. They were the investigators for victim number 6, Victoria Lewis, found dead outside her gym in Orange County." Cho opened the door, following Rigsby inside to talk to Fuller and James. Fuller was a tall, rough-edged guy, almost typically looking the part of a weathered and wisened officer. Although Fuller was tall, James still towered over him, a detail made all the more noticeable by the fact that James was very much a woman. She met Rigsby at eye level as both pairs of officers shook hands and sat down.

Fuller was the first to speak. "So, what did you catch? Looks big." His gray eyes dared Cho to deny that something was up. Cho didn't flinch.

"What can you tell us about the Victoria Lewis case?"

"That case was 12 years ago. How the hell am I supposed to remember details? I can tell you one thing – I'm a good cop. If we couldn't find something on the case it's cause nothing was there to find."

"I get it. You don't like us walking on your territory. We're not looking for anything on you or your partner here. What we do have is a new interest in the case based on one of our own."

Rigsby interrupted. "We're all cops, ok? You can drop the tough guy act." Fuller stiffened at this response, putting his hands on the table to get up.

"Victoria Lewis. 32 year old African American female. Strangled to death and then dumped behind her own gym." James' eyes locked on Cho as her smooth voice drew her partner back to his seat.

"So you do remember?"

"It was a nasty case. She was well-liked by everyone we interviewed. Had two kids, led the youth group at her church. She didn't deserve to die the way she did."

"Who did you guys make for it?"

Fuller spoke up. "We thought it was the ex. Big guy with a minor record."

"Why didn't it stick?"

"Turns out Lewis was getting back together with the ex. Couldn't have been happier about it. He had no prior record, no past girlfriends with complaints and a solid alibi for the night of the murder."

"Anything else?"

"The case went dry after that. No one close to her had noticed anything unusual about her. If anything, they all said she had been more upbeat and happy in the week before her death, not wary or worried about something or someone. We figure it must have been a wrong place, wrong time sort of thing. Lewis saw something she shouldn't have and got caught."

Cho looked at Rigsby. It didn't look like they were going to get much out of these two either. It was already 2pm and they had 10 more cases to go through. He stood and straightened his short sleeve button-up, a new blue one.

"Thanks for your time. We'd like a copy of your files on the Lewis case. Here's my card if you think of anything else."

"Hey now! You're going to make up drag ourselves all the way out here, give you private files and not tell us anything?! You know what? I'm not going to do this. This is bullshit!" Fuller seemed to be the quick-to-anger type.

Cho was sure that most people backed down when Fuller got angry, but, then again, Cho wasn't most people. "Ok. Drive all the way back. We'll have our chief call your boss, explain your chest puffing here and get copies of the files in 3 hours anyway. Our case will still be moving and, meanwhile, your boss will be wondering why you decided it would be a good time to piss off the state agency."

Fuller slammed down a pile of papers from his briefcase. "Fine. Here." He turned to James. "Let's go." At that Fuller stormed out of the room, followed closely by a stumbling Rigsby. Cho was unmoved and James sighed, calmly collecting her things in the aftermath.

"You know, you guys have a reputation down in our area."

"That so? We're the lions of police enforcement, right?"

"Well I've definitely heard you described as animals, just those of the four hooved variety"

Cho's eyes slightly turned up at that. It was about the closest he'd come to a smile all day.

"Well, thanks for your time, Detective James."

"It's Paula. Detective Paula James - for the record." And, with that, the tall agent let herself out of the room, Cho curiously following her with his eyes.

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**Had a bit of fun with Cho in this one. Next chapter is all Lisbon and Jane, don't worry.**


	5. Chapter 5

**Ok - this one's a bit long because I decided to add the fluff at the beginning. **

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HONK! Lisbon was startled out of her daze. Apparently the car in front of her had moved 4 feet forward. She sighed, creeping up those precious feet and pacifying the car behind her. So much for getting a jump start on the case. They had been stuck in bumper to bumper traffic for at least 45 minutes now. It was 11am. On a Wednesday. Where the hell were all of these people going?

"I told you to take the side roads."

"You did not, Jane."

"I didn't? Well, I would have taken the side roads if you had let me drive, but, oh no, that release of control is too much for you to handle."

"Do you really want to get into this when you're locked in a vehicle with an armed agent and no where to go?"

"Valid point, Lisbon. Yes, I suppose most people would be more cautious in my situation, but, see Lisbon, I am different. You're not going to shoot me here."

"Are you sure about that?"

"Positive. Too many witnesses. Plus you'd rather knock me unconscious than kill me, and then you'd feel guilty and wouldn't be able to get me to the hospital on time. It's really a lose-lose situation for you. Me, on the other hand; I have all the cards."

Lisbon forced herself to take a deep breath through clenched teeth, turning back to the unchanged road.

"You shouldn't grit your teeth like that, Lisbon. It'll give you headaches."

An hour and a half later they had finally reached Lucky Bar. Lisbon parked along the street and walked up to the entrance, hands in her coat pocket, shoulders back. It was more of a tough girl strut than anything else. Lisbon had never been the ultra-feminine type. Growing up with three brothers will do that to you. Still, she had learned during recruitment that senior officers found her to be too "soft" and too small to be a good officer. She had proven them wrong eventually, mainly through her willingness to take down criminals of any size. Still, the experience had taught her to toughen up her appearance and demeanor. Passivity and polite talk simply didn't work in a man's world. It was amazing how many people she encountered still underestimated her. She definitely enjoyed proving them wrong again and again.

Jane followed Lisbon on the street, adjusting his trademark vest. It was amazing. Her legs must be about a foot shorter than his and yet he practically had to jog alongside her. Jogging didn't suit Jane's demeanor, which is why he so often chose to wander off instead of following her around on a case. Luckily the walk from the car to Lucky Bar wasn't long enough for her to get very far ahead.

Lisbon grabbed the door, saw Jane taking his sweet-ass time to get there, rolled her eyes and went inside. It was dark, but in a comfy sort of way. This definitely wasn't a seedy bar; it was comfortable yet not the type to be swamped by 20 year olds in mini dresses. A young guy, probably not quite 30 yet, was wiping down the bar in anticipation of the early customers for the day. He was a bit shaggy, unshaven and of an average build.

"Hey. How's it going, sweetie?"

"Are you the owner?"

"Naw. He's around back, what can I help you with?"

"I'm Agent Lisbon of the California Bureau of Investigation. This man is Patrick Jane."

"You guys are here about Missy, right?"

"How well did you know Ms. Evans?"

"I mean we worked together for a year. She's … I mean was alright. Always ready to cover a shift, all the customers loved her, but not the crazy partying sort. She was gonna apply to grad school this fall. Super excited about that. But, uh, don't you want to talk to Dan? He's the one who hired her."

"We need to talk to everyone who was close to her. You included. Had you noticed any changes in her behavior in the weeks leading up to her death?"

"Like what? Shit. I don't know – it's not like we talked about every detail about our lives together."

Jane, seeing his cue jumped in. "You weren't a huge fan of her, why?"

"What do you mean? We got along fine."

"You hesitated to describe her and talked about how well liked she was by other people, not you, which makes me think there was bad blood between you. No, not that sort of thing – she wasn't the type to provoke other people. Judging by your reaction to agent Lisbon here I'm going to say that, since she was tall and blonde, she wasn't your type, so it's not a romantic connection. So, what? My guess? She saw you do something. Not drugs, you keep your habit too well hidden for that. Skimmed some cash at closing maybe, she saw and you panicked. So, what was it?"

As Jane finished the man jumped, leaping over the counter and towards the door. Lisbon caught the back of his shirt mid-jump, causing him to fall back on the bar and hitting two bar stools as he descended to the floor. She reached up to steady her grip on him, hiding a smirk as he flinched at her hand.

"Look, lady, I didn't do anything to Missy ok? I wasn't even here on Friday night!"

"Then why did you decide to do something stupid and run just now?"

"Ok. Look I've been a little hard for money lately so Wednesday night we're working together. She's sitting, talking to some new customer in the corner cause it's a quiet night and I'm closing. I go to take the money from the register to the safe and take a few Benjamins for myself. I was gonna pay it back I swear. I look up and she's staring at me. But I didn't kill her I swear! I can't lose this job, which is why I panicked."

Lisbon let go of him and he straightened himself. "So, what did she say to you after that?"

"Nothing. She just looked, sighed and asked me if I had wiped everything down."

"Who was she talking to then?"

"No idea. Just some guy in the corner."

"What did he look like?"

"I don't know. A guy. Dress pants and shirt, coming from work I guess. Average height. Really friendly with Missy, but everyone is."

"Well that's very helpful. Anything else?"

"Nah. Look, you won't tell Dan about the whole borrowing thing, right? I swear I'll pay it back."

"What honorable intentions. Here's my card. Call me if you think of anything. Jane, are you ready to go?" A pause. Lisbon turned and realized the consultant had disappeared. "Jane?" Lisbon cursed under her breath and went in search of her colleague who couldn't seem to keep still.

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**Feedback is very welcome!**


	6. Chapter 6

**Ok - here's the next part. More character development than anything, but def not fluff.**

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Lisbon sat in the upholstered chair glaring at Jane. She had found him upstairs harassing the bar owner over having a crush on Melissa Evans. By the time she got there the owner was too upset to be cooperative. Jane, on the other hand, seemed elated at the interaction; even though he later admitted that the owner obviously had nothing to do with her death. Sometimes getting the upper hand seemed to be all that mattered to him, a trait Lisbon both admired and resented as it often made for more paperwork for her. She had finally managed to calm Dan down enough to pull the receipts from Wednesday night to see if they could find the mysterious man Melissa had been talking to. They were now in their third office, this one a PR firm, waiting to speak to a Matthew Newman. Lisbon was hoping that this would be their mysterious man and that he might be linked to Melissa's death. It was already 6pm, the end of the business day. What the hell was taking so long?

Jane watched Lisbon's foot subconsciously pulse as they waited. He avoided direct eye contact with her, but could feel her obvious stare on him, probably forcing her mouth into a grimace that made the line on the side of her cheek to appear. At that thought, Jane couldn't help but smile and look up. Sure enough the line was there, making Jane broaden his smile. He waited for its effects. He was well aware of the impact he had on women, often using charm more than his own gifts to extract information. Lisbon had always been less responsive than most, however, and even now, with his smile a full wattage, her face only softened the slightest bit.

She was frustrated with him about the whole incident with the bar owner. But, come on, the guy was such an easy read! Jane couldn't help himself. He tried to ignore the real reason behind provoking him. Truth was he hadn't been much help on this case. Jane wasn't a profiler by trade. His specialty was reading human emotions: fear, anger, embarrassment. That's why he did so well on standard cases. Guilt was one of the easiest emotions to read; people wear it so openly. In the case of Melissa Evans and the others, however, those key elements were lost. The emotions behind the killings were not human or natural. They were made by a hunter, one that Jane had never studied. As such, anything beyond basic intentions of cover-up, arrogance and self-preservation was often harder for Jane to detect. Sure, he was smarter than most people, so he could pick up on a lot of clues along the way, but cases on serial killers always left him feeling a little inept, a twinge of the helplessness that he felt when his family was slaughtered. When that happened, Jane tended to overcompensate.

He was eager to speak to Matthew Newman, knowing from his description that he was likely the guy who had been speaking to Melissa Evans two days before her death. He was the type – attracted to power but too passive to acquire it, probably flirting with Melissa that night, but too cautious to ask her out. He held a middle-management position at a PR firm, but Jane was certain his demeanor would be anything but the "in-your-face" stereotype of someone in the field. He probably came from a blue-collar background, but wasn't ashamed of it; looking to get far enough ahead so he could settle down and stop worrying.

The door to the private office opened and, as Lisbon and Jane stood up, an average looking man came out to greet them. He had soft eyes and just the hint of a childlike face behind his tense jaw.

"Hello. Agent Lisbon? I've been expecting the CBI. Thank you for coming." Lisbon's puzzled face would have entertained Jane if he hadn't been equally baffled. Why was the man expecting the CBI? They hadn't even known about his interactions with Melissa Evans until this afternoon.

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Van Pelt had been scouring the many cases over and over, running multiple variables between the victims. Nothing so far. They were spread across multiple cities. There weren't any similarities in family, background, age or education. It seemed the only thing she could see in common was gender so far, which wasn't really a helpful variable at all. Her eyes began to blur after looking at her computer screen for so long. She stretched and then sighed. It was 10 already. She probably should go home and get some rest. It didn't look like she was getting anywhere tonight. She shut her laptop and started to gather her things. As she headed for the door the phone on her desk lit up. For only the briefest of seconds she considered letting it ring, but found herself jogging back to her desk to answer it.

"Van Pelt."

"Oh good Van Pelt, you're there. I was hoping you would be. Have you found anything linking the victims yet?"

"No, boss."

"Well, I need you to go back and look at any men who had been interested in the victims – not their boyfriends or husbands, but more of a stranger that had approached them."

"I don't think that information will be in their file."

"Then call up Cho and Rigsby and see what they've found on this."

"Now? It's pretty late."

"Van Pelt, it's 10pm, not 3am. Call them up. I will be there in 20 minutes. Understand?"

"Yes, boss." Van Pelt heard Lisbon hand up and slowly sat down at her desk. Her hand went to the lamp to delicately flick it back on. She didn't want to ruin the nights of either of her colleagues. She paused for a moment before lifting the phone receiver once more. She would call Rigsby first; he was more likely to be late in arriving anyway.

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**Comments make me happy in my soul! :)**


	7. Chapter 7

**Ok - feedback please! I didn't update for a couple of days because I wasn't sure where to go with the plot. **

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Lisbon and Jane walked up to the CBI offices just as Rigsby had arrived. He had clearly been taking a shower when he got the call as his hair was wet and there appeared to be soap suds still left in his ear. Not being one to complain (at least not to someone's face) Rigsby simply smiled and waved at his boss. Jane ran up and opened one of the front doors for Lisbon, who smoothly opened the other door for herself and walked inside. Rigsby walked through the door Jane was holding and all three made their way to meet Van Pelt upstairs.

When the trio reached the offices they found Van Pelt putting a pot of coffee out for the team, clearly taking a few minutes to make this late night meeting more bearable. Lisbon immediately poured herself a cup, barely setting the pot down before she began talking.

"Matthew Newman was seen with Melissa Evans two days before she was murdered. He had been frequenting the bar in the hopes of catching her attention. Jane and I went to visit Mr. Newman and found that he had filed complaint number 76891 with the city and state, believing that he was being followed, but didn't know by whom." Lisbon's abrupt start had sent Rigsby and Van Pelt scrambling for pens and paper to keep up. Van Pelt tried to cross behind Rigsby to get to her desk, just as he backed up. As a result the pencil can on Rigsby's desk went flying, scattering pens across the floor, which in turn caused Van Pelt to slip and almost fall, had Jane not stepped in and caught her arm. Lisbon watched the commotion and calmly sipped her coffee.

"When did my team get such poise and grace? You guys are lucky we're the only ones here tonight. Are you ready now? Ok. For the past three weeks or so Mr. Newman has felt like he's being followed and watched wherever he goes. Two weeks ago he starts getting silent phone calls along with 4 letters he finds in his desk at work and gym bag. He changes his locks and his gym and then receives one more letter, this time the writer is angry and the letter is placed on his kitchen counter of his locked house. He received the letter on Thursday."

"The day before Melissa is killed. And you think this is related to her death, boss?"

"It's the best lead we have to go on, Rigsby. Ok – Van Pelt, I need you to go through the state and local databases for previous complaints of stalking in that might have been lodged by men around the time of the other murders. See if this is a trend or anomaly. The killer could be focused on these men, see the women as competition and kill them out of jealousy. Rigsby, I need you on protective duty for Mr. Newman until the local PDs arrive tomorrow morning."

"So, we're dealing with a woman?"

"Well, the odds of a serial killer being female are indeed low, Grace. So, yes, it's possible that we could be dealing a woman. That certainly seems to be what Lisbon thinks."

Lisbon shot a glare at Jane. Of course he would decide what her hunches were for her. Even though in this specific instance he was correct she was annoyed at his arrogance for believing he was without ever even asking her what she thought. What drove her even more crazy was that, whenever he decided to describe what Lisbon was thinking, he did so with a tone that very plainly expressed that he believed her to be wrong.

"Well, what do you think, Jane?"

"Too early to tell. I'll bet Van Pelt finds other stalking cases that are related though. Anyone want some tea?"

Lisbon held up her half empty mug. "I've got coffee right here, Jane. You didn't answer my question: what do you think we're dealing with?"

"No one else wants tea? Grace? Rigsby? Ok. Well, I don't think that I'm going to be much help tonight with this whole 'backtracking' thing. I'll be on my couch until you guys find the next stalker victim. Lisbon, I think Van Pelt and Rigsby have it covered tonight – you should relax too. That's what having a team is for. You can go home, take a long shower and sleep for the first time in two days. Oh, but you may want to do something first?"

"What's that?"

"You might want to figure out where Cho is and why he missed our little powow."

Lisbon couldn't believe she had missed the fact that Cho was absent. She looked at Van Pelt.

"I only got his voicemail earlier, boss."

Lisbon pulled out her cell phone. A shower sounded really good, and she knew that if she didn't sleep at least a few hours tonight she would be useless tomorrow. Unfortunately, she didn't have time to chase down her other agent and go home. She gestured to Van Pelt, who was moving to get up from her computer.

"I'll find him. Van Pelt, you stay here and follow-up on the stalking. That's our number one priority."

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**Thanks to everyone who has been reading!!!! Please keep reading and commenting!**


	8. Chapter 8

**Sorry - it's been a really long time. I should be getting back into it now though. Feedback, as always, is welcome! Reviews also help me remember to write another chapter.**

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Cho blinked again and rubbed his eyes, urging them to focus and stay open. He looked once more at the clock in his car. Whoever had contacted him was late, very late. He was beginning to regret even responding to the note on his windshield indicating someone had information to the case. The only thing that had stopped him from throwing it away was the last line, which read _If you don't want to hear what I know, then I will simply turn my information in to the press. I'm sure some pretty red-lipped anchorwoman will be very interested in what I have to say._ The reference to lipstick could be a coincidence, but Cho doubted it. At the very least he couldn't allow the press to catch a whiff of what was going on. Lisbon would hold that against him for forever.

He sighed, exasperated. This was not how he had envisioned his night to end: cramped in a car seat on the bottom level of a parking garage in downtown Sacramento. The lighting was so bad that he couldn't even pass the time by reading, a hobby he picked up to calm his nerves during stakeouts. Sitting and doing nothing made him antsy and Cho didn't like to be antsy. He was just about to start his car and leave when he saw a hooded figure approach in his mirror. Instinctively he grabbed the gun at his waist.

"Now, if you don't play nice we won't get anywhere tonight." A silky smooth voice came from under the hood. Cho stiffened even more.

"How do I know you don't have a weapon on you?"

"Sheesh. Whatever happened to trust?" The figure sighed, then held out his hands and pulled out his pocket. He was unarmed. He pulled off the hood he was wearing to reveal a medium-build man with sandy hair and a nervous, yet amused expression. Cho relaxed his grip on the gun.

"You have information on a case of mine?"

"Not just a case, Mr. Cho, _the_ case. The one that's going to make your career."

"What do you know?"

"It's not what I know; it's who I am."

"And who are you?"

"That's not important."

Cho's jaw began to clench. "Look, I didn't come here to play games. Either you have something for me or you don't."

"I don't think you're the one who should be issuing ultimatums. I could just as easily take this over to the news station across the street."

"Fine. What is it you want?"

"Nothing too big. I, uh, haven't been keeping my nose very clean and have a few priors. Word is that there are some charges that might stick coming up."

"And what does that have to do with this case?"

"Nothing. Absolutely nothing at all. You see, however, the reason I know about these charges is the same reason I know about this new serial killer you guys are hunting down. I know some people. Those people have heard things about a guy. Soemone who was in the box for a few days and grew real attached to a friend of mine, obsessed almost. This friend didn't really care for him and let him know, one way or another, that he wasn't ok with that. The guy goes crazy, starts calling him 'daddy' and begs him not to leave. My friend backs off, but arranges for Mr. Crazy to be taken care of that night. The guy survived though, got out a few weeks later."

"That is a great story but it means nothing to me."

"Ah – I forgot the most important part! You see, this guy wasn't like the others. He had a collection in prison that he obsessed over."

"A collection? Of what?"

"Lipstick man. At least 20 tubes of lipstick in his bag when he got picked up. All he could talk about while he was in was getting it back."

"This guy, what was his name?"

"Oh no. Not until I get what I want. Then I'll give you all those juicy little details."

"I can't get you want you want. I don't work directly with the AG's office."

"Nah, man. But your boss does, doesn't she? I was going to talk to her instead, but she looked like the type to shoot first and ask questions later. I like keeping my bones intact."

"So you want me to talk to my boss about getting you off on some charges that haven't been filed yet? I don't think that's going to happen."

The stranger's eyes turned dark and he took a menacing step towards Cho. "You're going to have to make it happen, aren't you? Unless you don't want this information. My prison name is Charles D. Bernard. Look me up and take care of those charges."

"How will I contact you when it's done?"

"You won't. I know people, remember?"

A car across from where Cho was parked suddenly put its headlights on, blinding him temporarily from the contrast of the dark garage. Charles D. Bernard casually walked to the car and got in as it sped away. Cho waited a few minutes, composing himself, before he pulled his car outside. His phone instantly lit up with missed messages. He cursed as he steered towards his apartment while dialing his voicemail.


End file.
